Inflatable life-rafts or like craft



Feb. 7, 1961 R. J. PHILLIPS INFLATABLE LIFE-RAFTS 0R LIKE CRAFT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 30, 1959 Feb. 7, 1961 R. J. PHILLIPS 2,970,324

INFLATABLE LIFE-RAFTS 0R LIKE CRAFT Filed April 30, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 7, 1961 v R. J. PHILLIPS 2,970,324

INFLATABLE LIFE--RAFTS OR LIKE CRAFT Filed April 30, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet s United States Patent 3 2,970,324 INFLATABLE LIFE-RAFTS R LIKE CRAFT Ronald James Phillips, Wormley, England, assignor 1 The invention relates to improvementsin inflatable life-rafts and like craft and has for its object to provide an inflatable life-raft which can be suspended in a substantially upright position so that it can be launched over the side of a ship or the like when loaded with passengers.

According to the invention an inflatable life-raft comprises a tubular gunwale surrounding a floor of flexible waterproof materials, a number of straps or like supports secured to the life-raft and spaced substantially symmetrically around the periphery of said gunwale, said supports being adapted for attachment to suspension means 2' t may be continued across the underside of the floor 10 and cross each other at the centre thereof.

In the case of the "life-raft illustrated which is fitted with a double walled canopy, the outer layer 15 of the canopy is providedat its top with a central aperture 19 to enable the straps 16 to be engaged by the shackle 17,. The outer layer 15, is also provided with slits adjacent the gunwale to enable the straps 16 to be led to the exterior of the buoyancy chambers 11 and 12. The slits being sub- 'sequently sealed. The straps 16 are also arranged about the life-raft so as not to obstruct unduly, the entrances 21 of the canopy, only one. strap 16 intercepting the centre of each entrance so as to be positioned over a boarding or grab harness 20 secured between the gunwale and the bottom of the life-raft.

In the embodiment illustrated the life-raft is also provided with a further set of straps 22 which are located inside the life-raft. These straps 22 are each secured at their ends by load spreading pieces 23 to the floor 10 about a circle thereon concentric with the floor centre and between the floor centre and the gunwale, a reinforcing I patch 24 being provided at the position of attachment of above the life-raft, so as to enable it to be suspended in a substantially upright position.

According to a further feature of the invention the liferaft is provided with further straps or like supports arranged substantially symmetrically inside the life-raft and secured to said iloor at spaced apart locations between said gunwale and the centre of said floor, the said further supports being adapted for attachment to the same suspension means as said peripheral supports.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference will be made to the accompanying draw-,

ings which illustrate by way of example a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a life-raft which is circular in plan. I

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation of a life-raft shown suspended over the side of a ship.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the life-raft in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional diagrammatic view through the centre of the life-raft,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the life-raft with the canopy removed,

1 Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the manner in which the life-raft is supported at the top of the canopy.

The life-raft illustrated in the drawings comprises a floor 10 sealed at its periphery to the underside of 8111-;

bular gunwale having two buoyancy chambers 11 and,.12.

The floor 10 also supports an inflatable central strut 13 to the upper part of which is secured a double walled canopy having inner and outer layers 14 and 15 respectively. The life-raft is provided with a number of straps 16 which may be conveniently made of webbing and which are arranged externally to the buoyancy chambers 10 and 11 to enable the life-raft to be suspended from a shackle 17 in the manner shown.

In the embodiment illustrated the straps 16 are led between the outer and inner layers 15 and 14 of the canopy and are secured as by sewing, to load spreading pieces 18 which extend to the underside of the chamber 11 to which they are firmly attached. The pieces 18 being wider at their lower ends enable the loading at the position of attachment to be distributed. The straps 16 are arranged so that they are equally spaced from each other at the gunwale of the life-raft and are led over the centre of the top of the strut 13 where they can be coupled to the shackle 17.

In an alternative embodiment not shown the straps 16 each of said straps. The straps 22 are passed over the .central strut 13, but are first led upwardly to a position at underside thereof, the slits'being subsequently sealed. 35

' The length of the outer and inner straps 16 and 22 may be arranged so that when the life-raft is loaded with passengers and suspended, the load is taken on the outer straps 16 slightly before the inner straps 22 are tensioned,

thus permitting the floor 10 of the life-raft to bulge slightly downwards.

In order that the life-raft may be stabilised or prevented from rolling along or swinging away from a ships side, after it has been swung outboard it is provided in one of its entrances with an apron 26 which can be made fast to'the deck of a ship. This apron is illustrated in Figs.

2 and 5 where a ships'deck 27 and side 28 are diagrammatically shown. The apron 26 is secured to the inner side of the upper buoyancy chamber 12 and can be drawn out and over said chamber and attached by lines 29 to cleats 30. The apron 26 is sufficiently wide to prevent undue rolling of the life-raft along the side 28 of the ship as the ship pitches. The apron also serves to close the gap between the ships side and the entrance to the life-raft and to obstruct the view downwardly, thus making the act of boarding the raft in an emergency less alarming.

y Although th e pr eferred embodiment of the invention has been described with reference to a life-raft whichis round in plan, the life-raft may be of other shape. Thus when an oblong life-raft needs to be supported, outer and inner straps disposed at each end of the life-raft may be attached respectively to two suspension means spaced apart from each other.

In an alternative arrangement the inner straps 22 may be dispensed with and the inflatable strut 13 may be constructed so that it can also be used as a tension member. In this case the strut 13 is constructed of suitable material, or is suitably reinforced and is firmly secured round its base to the floor 10. At its upper end the strut is provided with a loop or the'like for attachment to the shackle On ,the other hand when loaded and suspended, ,the liferaft possesses a suflicient amount of rigiditysubstantially to retain its shape.

What I claim as my invention and desire ,to secure .by

Letters Patent is:

1. An inflatable life-raft comprisingzaifloor of'flexible waterproof material, a tubular gunwale surrounding said floor, a plurality of elongated ,ties securedat oneend to said life-raft and spaced symmetrically around theperiphery of said gunwale, further elongated ties secured at pne end to said floor at spaced apart locations between said gunwale and the center of said floor, said peripheral ties and said further ties being adapted for [suspension above theliffe-raft remote from said s ecured iend, so ,as to en ble it to be su nd ein a .subs aat s ly sesi tae tion by suspension means.

2. An inflatable life-raftcomprising; a floorqf flexible waterproof material, a tubular gunwaleisurrounding said floor, a plurality of elongated ties connectedat least at ,one end to tensile-load distributing pieces secured to the lower part of said gunwale at locations spaced substantially symmetrically around the periphery thereof, further elongated ties secured at oneend to said fi oor at spaced -apart locations between said gunwale and the centre of said floor, said peripheral ties and-said further ties being collected together remote from their secured ,ends for attachment to suspension means above said life-raft.

3. An inflatable life-raft comprising: a circular floor of flexible waterproof material, atubular gunwale surrounding said floor, a plurality of elongated tiesconnected at least at one end to tensile-load distributing pieces secured to the lower part of the life-raft at locations spaced substantially symmetrically around the periphery thereof, further elongated ties arranged substantially symmetrically inside said life-raft and secured to said floor about a circle thereon concentric with the floor -centre ;and between said centre and said gunwale, said peripheral ties and said further ties being collectedtogether remote from their secured ends for attachment to suspension :means above said life-raft.

4. An inflatable life-raftas claimed irr-claimlin which the said peripheral and said further-tiesarearranged to cause the load on suspension of thelife-raft whenloaded :with persons, to be taken first by said peripheral; ties and then .by said further ties.

5. An inflatable life-raft comprising: afloorof flexible waterproof material, a tubular gunwale surrounding said floor, a plurality of elongated ties secured to said life-raft and spaced substantially symmetrically around theperiphery of said gunwale, further elongated ties arranged subst antially symmetrically insidesaid life.-raft;and secured to said floor at spaced apart locations between said gunwale and the centre of said floor, a double walledcanopy secured at its base to said tubular gunwale andadapted to be supported above said floor, said peripheralties being -;passed through slits between. said ,canopyandsaid gunwale and extending between the inner and outer layers of said canopy, said peripheral and said further ties being adapted for attachment remote from their secured ends to suspension means above said life-raft, so as to enable it to be suspended in a substantially upright position.

6. An inflatable life-raft as claimed in claim 5 in which said canopy is supported above said floor by an inflatable strut, saidperipheraland said furtherties being led over the top of said inflatable strut. I

7. An inflatable lifeqaftas claimed inclaim 6.in.which the inner layer of said canopy is secured to said strut in spaced relationship to the .top thereof and said further ties are anchored to said strut at the same position as that at which said inner layer is secured.

8. An inflatable life-raft as claimed in claim 1 in which a conopy is secured at its base to said tubular gunwale and is adapted to be supported above said floor by an inflatable tubular strut, said strut being secured at its ,base to said floor-and being adapted at its upper end for attachment to the same suspension means as said peripheral supports.

9. An inflatable life-raft as claimed in claim 1 in which "1 0. An inflatable life-raft comprising; a circulartfloor of flexible waterproof material, a tubular gunwale sur- ;rounding said-floor, aaplurality of elongated tiessecured to said life-raftandspaced substantially symmetrically arop nd the periphery of said gunwale, further elongated t;ies-arranged substantially symmetrically inside said liferaft and securedto said floor about a circle concentric vjth the floorcenter and between said center and said gunwale, a double walled canopy secured at its base to said tubular gunwaleand adapted to be supported above said floor by an inflatable tubular strut, said peripheral and outer layers of said canopy, said peripheral and said further ties being led over the top of said strut and being adapted for attachment to suspension means remote from their secured ends above said life-raft, and van apron attached to said gunwale for securing the life-rait when suspended to the side of a ship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,685,719 Neill .m Sept. 25,1928 1,839,076 Adams Dec. 29, 1931 2,764,766 Boyle .,Oct..2, 1956 2,804,633 Taylor Sept. 3, 1957 2,859,457 Manhart Nov ll, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 572,545 Canada Mar. 17,1959 789,334 Great Britain Jan. 22, 1958 

